Monday, December 6, 2010

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

Today in Troy, the students and residents were sprinkled with light snow. While snow, is a fairly regular occerance in Troy, and most of upstate New York for that matter, snow always marks the coming of winter and cold. It is officially cold in Troy. For some though, it is colder than others. I remember back to freshman year at RPI. I was young, naive, and full of doe-eyed wonder and romantics about snow and the cold that accompanies it. Regular snowfall was like chestnuts for me: mythical, something only possible in storybooks. While I am now older, I am still filled with childlike jubilee at the sight of snow, however, something has changed. I am wiser.

Unfortunately, I have to honestly admit that I was one of those kids from the West Coast who froze their silly little heads off freshman year. It took a while, almost all winter, to realize how to layer in order to survive. I purchased my first pair of snow boots on my own and was introduced to "double panting" or the donning of a layer of long underwear under one's jeans. A friend from Texas, Los Angeles and myself learned the hard way that snow is not necessarily that cold, but the winds and Northeast temperatures that accompany it are.

Sophomore year I graduated to the level of winter dress knowledge where I could layer and not over-layer to the point of sweat induced exhaustion. Junior year, I purchased a new wool peacoat and gained tall, tan leather boots as a gift from my Mother. As a senior now, I am proud to say that I can dress for the cold, be stylish to boot, and not even be over-layered. While this might seem like a silly trifle for some, I'm pretty proud to be cutely prancing in the snow and smiling into the bitter winter wind.

Just remember, you can't go wrong with wool and gloves and hats are your best friends.